Welcome, to the lair of the Serpents
by RoseScor90
Summary: Written for the Death Eater Competition! Would likely be a bunch of one shots about Death Eaters. R&R! Rated T for paranoia
1. Chapter 1

Disclamier: Not JK…

A/n: Written for the Death Eaters Competition. The character was Lucius Malfoy and the prompt was nail polish.

This is my first attempt at a Lucius/Narcissa. Tell me if I did okay?

Chapter 1: Cat out of the bag

Lucius Malfoy entered the Black Manor only to be struck with a sharp scent of something that was sweet and fruity. Absently, he crossed the drawing room and placed his hand on the knob of the door he knew would lead him to the magnificent living room of the Black Manor. The Blacks were as infamous for their luxurious mansions as they were for their involvement with Dark Magic. Lucius' mouth curved into a smile as he thought of them. He visited the Blacks frequently. It was one of his most preferred time killing activities. And one that gave him a chance to meet the one person that was as arrogant and contemptuous as he was.

There was a tinkling sound of laughter from the other side of the door that made him hesitate. His pureblood manners kicked in and he knocked. "Come on in Lucius. It's just Cissy and me" the slightly piercing voice of Bellatrix invited him. He entered the door and found the source of the scent that now surrounded him like an invisible mist.

Shrugging off the slight dizziness it gave him, he concentrated on the woman in front of him, steadfastly ignoring the most beautiful and enchanting of the Black sisters. Neither did Narcissa give any indication that she felt his presence as she painted her fingers. Her expression was nonchalant and bored, as if she was being forced to watch her least favorite movie for the hundredth time. To her, Lucius was no more interesting than the wallpaper behind him. Just another Death Eater that had better sense than to endanger his life by trying to woo her.

"Good that you are here. Rodolfus would be here soon too" Bellatrix continued, looking at her sister's face for any change. It was no secret in the Snakes' lair that the youngest Black sister and the Malfoy heir did not get along well at all. Bellatrix was neither subtle nor successful in her attempts to get the two together. Dark Magic and Unforgivables were more her forte.

"Good. Getting caught between her and you would probably be every guy's worst nightmare" Lucius smirked as he purposefully sat on the armchair which was closest to Narcissa. His eyes concentrated on Bellatrix outwardly but he was actually trying in as many ways to get Narcissa to speak up as he could, without directly addressing her. So far he had had no success in it.

The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of Rodolfus. Bellatrix stood to get the door. Narcissa shifted her position on the couch as if she was going to say something but sat back, deciding against it. Lucius didn't need Legilimency to know that she had thought of objecting to being left alone with him. It pleased him that he was atleast getting an indirect reaction from her. Being ignored got really tiresome sometimes. Smirking, he turned to her as soon as Bellatrix's head had disappeared. Narcissa was still intently painting her nails, but her irritation was coming off her in waves that gave Lucius the impression that she was pretty ticked off. He couldn't help but wonder what had caused this. She was never this annoyed and usually reserved it until he had goaded her for a good fifteen minutes.

"Something the matter with you, Cissy?" he asked in a whisper, which would have sounded suave save for the blatant amusement in them. She turned her head slowly in his direction, and it was apparent that she'd much rather watch the dark night outside the window than the face beside her. When she spoke, her voice dripped with unconcealed boredom.

"Nothing of your concern. And its Black to you Malfoy" she turned back to her task, concentrating on it just a bit more than necessary. She would have appeared the picture of languor except that she was gripping the bottle too tight and her hand shook slightly when she painted her nails. And of course, nothing escaped Lucius Malfoy's eyes.

"It's confusing when there are two of you" he said explanatorily as he sat back on the armchair. It was clear he wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"I don't see the difficulty. You call my sister Bella. Call me Black"

"But it would be in bad humor if I call your sister by her given name and not you. Afterall, it was you who was my classmate"

"You mean it wouldn't be as interesting, as irritating to me"

"Either way. So, you never got around to telling me what was bothering you?"

"I thought I had given you a subtle enough reminder not to bring it up?"

"Must have missed it"

"Can't blame you. With the intelligence level of a street cat, I should be surprised you understand what I speak at all"

"Narcissa…" Lucius' tone was threatening. But they had not even the smallest effect on her. She appeared a bit calmer, if anything. Lucius stared at her keenly, wondering what could have upset her this bad. That had been way below what she normally shot out.

"I'm not your puppy, Malfoy. These threatening pitches don't work with me, if you hadn't realized it before" Oh, he had realized all right! Nothing and noone got under the stone thick wall that was Narcissa Black's composure.

Suddenly incensed, Lucius felt like plucking the dratted bottle of nail polish away from her pristine hands and throwing them at the immaculate wall just to see if she'd be ruffled by that. Not many dared to ignite Lucius Malfoy's perilous temper. Not even Bellatrix Black who claimed to be as fearless as the Dark Lord. But this woman before him, she was going way past the limit. Never mind that he could never hurt her. But of course, he had his reasons for not doing so. He had no wish to anger the Blacks, who were his family's closest friends and partners in crime.

He never did understand why that never applied to Bellatrix, though. Probably because he had seen her battle. Seen her kill people without breaking a sweat. Narcissa triggered in him an insane urge to protect underneath all those layers of animosity he felt for her. If it was between Bella and Narcissa, Lucius was sure it would be Narcissa he would jump in front of. And that thought only served to increase his already mounting ire.

"Of course! The high and mighty Narcissa Black answers to nobody" he muttered under his breath, knowing she'd hear. He was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath before being faced with the furious face of the only Black who wasn't a Death Eater.

"I make my choices Malfoy and I see no reason why _you_ consider yourself eligible to comment on them" she said scathingly. Lucius knew his comment had been out of line but getting a rise out of her finally outrode any guilt he might have felt.

"Since I have made the right choice, I think it my responsibility to tell you"

"I'd appreciate it if you would keep your opinions to yourself. And keep out of my business"

"Ah! But who wouldn't be interested in your business? You won't join the Dark Lord. You won't marry either. You don't date, even. Really, is sitting around doing nothing your sole aim in life?"

"Keep out of my life, Malfoy" she said, and her voice shook with the effort it took her not to snap at him.

"When I'm finally getting under your skin? Not a chance"

"If you value your life, Lucius…"

"I value it enough to know you're no danger to me, Cissy" he replied and smiled so cheekily at her that she couldn't help shrieking at him and pouncing on him.

She did not know what she had thought she could do. Exactly. She hadn't thought. Why else would she have gone against all that she had been taught and react so violently? It certainly did not help that Lucius' face was fixed in a wide smile without even the slightest hint of fear. He had got the reaction he had wanted. His hands were tightly around her waist, and it certainly wasn't comfortable. His eyes, so pleased, so close to her face, didn't help either. She tried to release herself, without much success.

"Let go, Malfoy" she said, trying to remove his hands from around her. They only tightened in response.

"Malfoy. I have priorities in life"

"Is tackling unsuspecting people one of them?"

"No. Neither is getting myself locked up in Azkaban. Let. Go. I swear I won't stop with a threat the next time" He did release her this time, and she got up quickly, dusting herself off. That was why, when he stood up, she did not immediately notice the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Have I ever told you that feisty women who give out death threats with no intention of following through oddly attract me?" he smirked widely this time and Narcissa had barely any time before he pecked her on the lips. It would have been nothing if they hadn't immediately jumped apart. Neither of them had anticipated that spark. Not with each other. Not even in their worst nightmares. It took Lucius a second more then Narcissa to compose himself. She was back to her impassive self by then.

"If you were trying to intimidate me by that stunt, Malfoy, I must tell you that you were worse at it than I'd have thought. Rabastan would probably give you a run for your money" Narcissa noted with satisfaction, the confusion and displeasure this caused him. Lucius opened his mouth to say something when the door opened and Bella entered with her fiancé.

Seeing her chance, Narcissa said, "I should be leaving. A Death Eater soirée is no place for me" before she crossed the room to the door. Before leaving, she looked back at Lucius' face one last time. She knew he was imagining things and was glad that he had enough creativity to come up with the worst of conclusions.

She did not need Lucius Malfoy in her life. Letting him in would mean involving her emotions and that was the very thing Narcissa wanted to avoid. But of course, she knew it would take a bit more than a few suggestive comments to keep him away if he set his mind on chasing her. She wasn't entirely confident of herself either.

Neither of them had won the fight that day but both had learnt a lesson. There was no use trying to ignore things. It just meant that the effect would be that much more worse when they came out.

A/n: Review!


	2. His Precious

Disclaimer: NotJK…

A/n: Written for the Death Eater competition. This is my first time writing Voldemort so I'd love to hear what you have to say. The prompt was 'greeting card'. Hope I made justice to it. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially Corinne Marie, who pointed out that I was deviating away from the prompt. Thanks for the constructive criticism!

Chapter 2: His precious

Everybody had precious possessions. It might happen to be a toy; a gift, a memoir, a prize, or may be just some random belonging that happened to have some form of sentimental value. Had anyone ever wondered about that one object that Tom Riddle had prized above all?

Even if the extremely random anonymously insane person had, they'd immediately have come to one conclusion; his pet Nagini. Other, more informed people may swear that it would have been one of his horcruxes; to Harry it might be the one hid in his soul; to Ginny it might have been the diary that once had held her secrets and to Dumbledore it might have been the Marvolo ring that had sucked the life out of him.

But this was Voldemort and when had he ever acted according to others' wishes? Before you get to meet the object that has You-Know-Who's undivided love, as much as he was capable of that is, we need to look into the dreary, hatred filled childhood of Tom Riddle junior. It taught him what he became later. Afterall, charity begins at home, and that rundown orphanage had been his.

It wasn't any better than the one Harry was subjected to but back then, even the thought of a Harry Potter wasn't conceived so we shall not compare. Our study of He-who-must-not-be-named's early days begins on a rare day of celebration in the orphanage. It was the day Caroline, a sweet little girl of about seven, was to leave with her adopted parents. She was dressed in a frilly pink frock and appeared every bit the spoiled princess.

Tom watched from his place under the shaded elk tree as every person in the orphanage fawned over her as if they had done so all their lives; he knew better. Caroline-what's her name had been bullied and taunted by the very same Billy who was now laughing boisterously with her. Tom felt sick of all this. The very Jessica who had made her cry constantly was smiling companionably albeit jealously, at her. Abruptly standing, he began walking back to the building, not even bothering to look back at the party hoisted in honor of his roommate's impending shift.

It was an hour before anyone even bothered to look for him, and even then it was Caro, as she had been affectionately dubbed by her parents, who asked for him. And all of a sudden, cries of Tom filled the air but it was Caroline who walked up the rickety stairs with a paper in her hand. She did not knock before entering because she never did. He was lying on the small cot as usual with his legs dangling out the end, his hands behind his head to guard it from the rough bedpost, whistling a melancholic tune, always melancholic, yet oddly passionate.

"Tom? I made this for you" she gave him her leaving present, and hurried out before he could reply. Most likely she knew he'd have thrown it back at her face. As it was, Tom threw it under his dilapidated closet and forgot all about it.

It was only when the man who had called himself Professor Dumbledore had set fire to the wooden shelf that he had remembered, and had panicked. Sure, the guy had restored the closet, but his present, his only present? What did he care, anyway.

Years later, after life had thrown obstacles at him and had made him the much feared Lord Voldemort, he had the chance to know about Caro.

After being pushed into a dysfunctional family, she had suffered severe abuse at the 'doting' parents' hands and had run off when she had come of age. Her bad luck followed her there and got her tied to a man who was not only a drunk but also an uncompassionate shrew who did not deserve a girl as delicate as Caro.

The day he met her, Caro was no longer the little girl with the rosy cheeks and unaffected smile; she had matured into a frail, worn woman who awaited death with ardor that should never be found in a thirty year old. She begged him to kill her, but he couldn't. It was ironic really, she wanted him to kill her and he couldn't; he wasn't used to meeting willing victims. What was even more appalling was that his wand arm, one that had murdered hundreds without a second thought, refused to obey. He left the house defeated, having killed only her husband. He learnt later that she had a better life after that and lived to be seventy. Not that he needed to know of her happiness.

When it was his turn to go, he had a smile on his face, not of victory for he lost, not of satisfaction for he died without fulfilling his purpose, but of the little knowledge that no one will ever know what mattered most to him. No one will ever be able to catch her, or the scalded sloppily hand made "Miss you" greeting card given to him by a little girl he could have come to adore like a sister.

If she hadn't left; if he hadn't been a wizard who was destined to follow in his ancestors' steps to glory.

If…

A/n: Review please!


	3. The Irony of it all

Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for the Death Eaters Competition. Prompts were Evan Rosier and "All you need in life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure."

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3: The Irony of it all

Sienna Thorton was at the library, reading _The Enigma of an Animagus_ when the light from the window was blocked. Looking up irately, she was faced with the one and only Evan Rosier, aka the bane of her existence. Honestly, the guy wouldn't leave her alone; people would mistake him for a Hufflepuff if they saw how he behaved with her, like a lost puppy.

"Rosier, you're blocking my light. Move!"

"You're the light of my life, Sienna," He declared in an elaborate gesture, taking a seat opposite her on the table. Dang, there were no more free spaces in the library. Deciding that peace and quiet were more important than her wish to stay in the library, Sienna gathered her books and left the library with, surprise surprise, Rosier following her. Now all she had to do was walk to the human inhabited part of the castle and he'd disappear. Afterall, he wasn't very keen on the world knowing about his almost stalker-ish ways, or the insane crush he told her he had on her.

"Sienna, wait! I need to talk to you!"

"I need you to disappear, but does that happen?" She snapped back, turning to him. Belatedly, she realized that she had given him the chance to catch up to her.

"Not until you agree to go out with me." He smirked that awful smirk that always had her blood boiling.

"Why would you want to date a lowly Ravenclaw? I thought any house other than Slytherin was unacceptable?"

"There are only so many Slytherin girls," He seemed serious, annoying her further. He honestly wanted to date her simply because there were no Slytherins _left_? This was going way out of hand. She stormed away from him, intent on never looking at his goddamned face ever again.

"Hey wait! That came out wrong. What I meant was…"

"I think what you _really_ meant all these days is painfully clear, Rosier." She tried to walk past him, but he was resolutely blocking her way.

"I messed up once. Let me explain?" Seeing no way she could walk away from him, she nodded grudgingly.

"I was looking for someone to date outside the house, okay? And then you seemed to jump out of nowhere and I…I lost focus. I mean, all I could think was _Where had she been hiding all this time?_ I know you'll think I'm flattering you and things but the truth is, you were the most intriguing person I ever met. And I don't know, you make me act so different it frightens me. I'm kind of freaked out, but I can't seem to stay away from you either,"

"Don't you ever care about what others feel? About the reason why I refuse to agree?" All she needed was an assurance that he wasn't associated with the terrible things bespoken about the House of the Serpent.

"All you need in life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure." Of course, even her most elementary wishes couldn't come true. What had she expected? For him to be a spy for the good side? Fat chance.

"I'm not your experiment and I absolutely refuse to be your guinea pig, Rosier so get the hell out of here!"

Taking her own advice, Sienna stormed away from the corridor, and away from his life. Rosier really tried to meet with her after that, but she just happened to be too damn elusive.

It was during the Christmas holidays that he came to know of the news: The Thortons home had been attacked; there had been no survivors.

Evan Rosier often wondered how screwed up his life was; he had pledged his life to the very person that had taken away the one girl who _might_ have become the love of his life.

Oh, the irony!

A/n: Do review!


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